Lifestyles Report…Did you know?

Ok, here is a pop quiz. Does the New Pittsburgh Courier have a digital daily? The answer is yes, and you can subscribe to it for free. In the Friday edition I have a column called Fashion Watch where you will find my take on the latest in fashion. You may see yourself there from time to time if I catch you in a fashionable mode at an event. I like to talk about fashion faux pas and what people are wearing on the red carpet. It is a very quick read so you should check it out. Fashion is such a vast topic that there is so much to talk about. In the upcoming weeks I hope to feature a swimsuit made just for breast cancer survivors; where you can find custom made shoes; and how to buy prescription glasses on line for under $50.

I love to highlight the first lady of the United States, FLOTUS. It seems like eyes are always on her and what she is wearing. According to the Huffington Post, there was an awesome printed Lela Rose vest, an on-trend Burberry trench coat and a covetable utility jacket (seriously, we’d like to steal it). While we didn’t love the oversized tunic she chose for a Riverdance performance, Michelle Obama generally maintains a strong enough fashion game to compete with her increasingly-trendy daughters. Have you seen those girls’ colorful flats and skinnies? I sure would like the job of following FLOTUS and what she wears everywhere.

In some previous Fashion Watch articles we have talked about sagging pants, my biggest pet peeve or maybe one of them, sandals with socks and ladies who wear see through leggings. I just saw a great story on fashions for curvy women. Kenyatta Jones, CEO of clothing line Bella Rene, is a self-proclaimed “fat” person and star of We tv’s series “House of Curves.” She’s pinned down the inherent problem that larger women face when buying clothes: Plus-sized items are seldom available in-store, which leaves these ladies to fend for themselves in the online shopping world. Jones explains how this can lead to problems:

At the end of the day, each designer designs in a different way. So if you’re stuck only shopping online, nine times out of 10 you’re going to get something that doesn’t fit…Fit is very important to a fashion designer. If you’re ordering it online as opposed to trying it on in-store, you’re just going to end up sending it back and then you have nothing.

What’s more, says Jones, is that the fashion industry seems to operate under the misconception that “fat” people are lazy, uneducated and not in the market for style. “‘They don’t need clothes, all they do is eat Twinkies,” she says, illustrating the mindset. For the record, she adds, she’s never even had a Twinkie.

If you would like the digital edition to land in your email mail box just go to the newpittsburghcourier.com and click digital edition. You will be instructed on how to get your very own copy. While you are at it, get that hard copy mailed to your home.